Changes in the Perception of Marianne in "Sense and Sensibilty"

Summary: In "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen, Marianne changed and grew in her view on love.

In the beginning of the novel "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen, Marianne believed that in order to marry someone, you had to be head-over-heels, passionately in love. In order to be that much in love, you had to have most of the same interests and be passionate about those interests. By the end of the book, she realized she was wrong. After Marianne first met Colonel Brandon, she and Elinor were talking about the possibility of him marrying or being a lover. Marianne could not even imagine a man of his age marrying now. She thought because he was old he could not have the passion you need in her opinion to fall in love.

When Marianne met Willoughby they started talking one-on-one and she found they had a lot in common. She started to especially like him when she found out they both loved the poet Cowper. Because of there similar interests she fell in love with him and everyone knew it. The way she acted around him people thought they were engaged. Marianne was very forward with her feelings for him I believe and he, being a guy, went along with it whether he had true feelings for her or not. He liked her enough to play along with her and act like he loved her too, he even asked for a lock of her hair. Then one day he announced he was leaving for London. Marianne was extremely distraught. She wept for days and her appetite seriously decreased. If Marianne hadn't so openly expressed her feelings for Willoughby he never would have led her on. Also, if Marianne had taken the time to really get to know Willoughby, instead of just falling in love with his romantic qualities, she might've realized his love for money over anything else, even love.

Eventually Marianne gets over Willoughby, after being terribly ill for weeks. After her sister and Edward marry, they act as matchmakers setting up Marianne and Colonel Brandon by having just those two over for dinner often. With everyone else wanting the two to marry, Marianne was practically forced into marrying him. They then moved in with Elinor and Edward and Marianne realized all the wonderful things about Colonel Brandon and easily fell deeper in love with him until her feelings for him went beyond the feelings she had had for Willoughby.